Do You Think a Presidential Candidates Religious Belief(s)?

Question

"should" or "should" not have an impact on who actually wins the next election ? Shouldn't we continue to maintain a seperation of religion and state as far as the elections go ?

Answer 1

Oh, boy! Do you ever ask an interesting question! So let’s see what we can come up with for an equally interesting answer.

For all intents and purposes, our founding fathers were all relatively devout religious men, Christians of one stripe or another. And, as far as we know, almost all of them were Protestant. Yet this same group of avowedly Christian men incorporated into our Constitution the concept of the separation of church and state. Why was this such an issue with them, and why did they approach the whole topic in such a manner?

History reveals to us that this was not the case in European governments, what with Popes, cardinals, bishops and other assorted religious clerical types having a very active part in the decision making processes of the time. A large part of policy making came directly from church offices, and wars were fought for religious (read denominational) supremacy. In other words, the government was used to further religious ambitions, as it were.

When it came time to establish our own government, believe me, this issue was seriously considered, and the decision was made that, in order to form a more perfect union, the church was not to be allowed to have a say in how things were run. Like I said, our founding fathers were religious themselves, but they recognized the dangers or problems of having religious officials active at the highest levels of government. In their minds, the church took care of spiritual matters, the government took care of political matters, and everything went along nicely.

However, one important point to keep in mind is that these were all very moral men, strongly influenced by their respective religious upbringings. We might go so far as to say that they believed that one could not be a responsible member of a democratic society unless one has a strong moral (read religious) background. There’s a good one to chew on....

What they wanted was a government that was representative of the people, not the church or, more to the point, a church. They were not, as some folks might tend to think today, anti - religious. They recognized the place and importance of religion in society, but at the same time, recognized that there were certain places where religious predispositions would be inappropriate.

I’ve said all that to say this. All we need to know is that a candidate is a church member. That tells us that (hopefully) he or she is guided by certain moral principles. More than that, and I would begin to wonder if this individual really is a religious person, or merely parroting what is heard from the pulpit or Bible classes, and might be nothing more than a mouthpiece for a particular preacher or church denomination or what have you.

Answer 2

I don't care if the President worships trees. All I want is a leader who gives a darn...and who has the intelligence and skill to return our country to it's once-great status.

Personally, the subject of religion shouldn't even come up with regard to politics. This isn't some Islamic governed middle-eastern or Muslim nation. This is a free country where each can worship as he/she wants - or not believe if that's the choice.

All this religious nonsense seeped into politics during the Reagan years.. The only other time it came up was with Kennedy when they grilled him about being Catholic. Baloney.

I don't WANT to know what anyone's religion is......don't care....

And, no, it shouldn't have an impact on the election but it probably will. It was the religious right who elected Bush...and the fact that too many of we Americans stayed home and didn't vote.

Let's hope we ALL get there this time and bring some sanity back to our beloved country.

Answer 3

No. Belief in a god does not make one a decent person or a competent person. I think that we should enforce separation of church and state no matter what the topic is. This country was not founded on religious principles it was founded on freedom to choose. Most people will say that this country is predominately xtian and I imagine that that is true. It has not made this country a better place to live. If most people are believers they certainly are not living like it. I am an Atheist. I know several Atheist and we are all very moral and decent people. One does not need a belief in a god to be moral. All it takes to be moral and decent is common sense and selflessness. Anyone of sound mind should have enough sense to know right from wrong. And they do. It is a matter of caring about right and wrong that makes the difference. And if a person is basically selfish and desires only what ''they'' want , that person will and does not care about what they have to do to get it.

Answer 4

This country as a whole is primarily a Christian body. So belief can come into play for choice of presidential candidate.
I don't have a problem with Mitt Romney because he is not going to preach from the White House. He didn't do it when he was Governor of Massachusetts, why would he do it if he is the winner of the elections.
But I feel that it is an important factor if he has personal beliefs, at a personal level and keeping it there.

Answer 5

When we elect a president, we are electing the whole person. He/she has been shaped by life experiences ... home and family, education, religious beliefs, temperament, job ... all combine to form ones core beliefs. We can mandate a separation of church and state in actions but we cannot mandate a separation of ones inner beliefs.

The Morman faith and beliefs are very foreign to me - more foreign than even Islamic. I view it as more a cult than a religion and a president whose core beliefs are based on that faith could not be trusted to do what is best for the whole country.

Answer 6

Well I think anyone can say they are a christian for whatever purpose they want it to be. Not necessarily true in a lot of cases. I think this country has seen the dark side of this day after day on the news. I believe religious affiliation has no place whatsoever in high offices of government,, just leave that part out and run on the issues we need addressed an stick to those issues.

My answer is should not.

Answer 7

They tried this when Kennedy was running, and he got elected. It's just the nitpickers running rampant, and the PC's
being obnoxious again. I do not listen to this Cr--. I will vote for who I think will do the best job as President and try against all odds of fighting Congress and everybody else who has their fingers in the pie, to get something done to turn this mess around. It's going to be an up hill battle anyway you look at it.

Answer 8

In our country a person's religion should be a personal matter. I don't care what religion a candidate is. We've had a Quaker, a Catholic, and many Protestant Presidents.
Therefore I believe a candidate's religious beliefs should have no bearing on how we vote.

Answer 9

The whole is equal to the sum of it's parts, whatever/whomever a man/woman is fully relates to what they stand for. Either vote for the candidate that stands true to their convictions or you pick another type of convictions to support. What kind of president believes in nothing or is not influenced by a moral code (normally, but not always, rooted in a religious belief) ?

Answer 10

Religion and politics should not be discused in the same sentence. Richard Nixon prayed all night long on the Presidental yacht "Sequoia" before his resignation, Were his prayers answered ? What , God can't answer the most powerful man in the world ? What chance does anyone else have ? Most these candidates play the religion card to be accepted by the lambs. I'd rather a candidate be honest , but we can't find one of those either ! Candidates and religion are nothing more than "photo"ops.It's look at me you can trust me I attend church. Yeah , well so did Hitler.